Direct Hits - Blow Up (1984)

One of the better latter-day bands from the '80s mod revival, the Direct Hits were more strongly influenced by psychedelia and sunshine pop than many of their peers, though the group members were certainly capable of tough, guitar-heavy freakbeat homages when they were of a mind. The Direct Hits were formed in late 1980 by Colin Swan (bass) and Geno Buckmaster (guitar) after the breakup of their band the Exits, who had released one single on Lightning Records after six years together. Joining with drummer Steve Warburton, Swan and Buckmaster began playing out as the Direct Hits, though Warburton was fired after only a few gigs, in part because he refused to cut his hair, much to the annoyance of the mods who attended their shows. Ian "Griff" Griffiths took over on drums, and in late 1981 the Direct Hits were approached by Dan Treacy, formerly of the Television Personalities, who was launching his own label, Whaam! Records. By the fall of 1982, the Direct Hits had released their first single for Whaam!, "Modesty Blaise" b/w "Sunny Honey Girl," and Brian Grover had replaced Griffiths on the drums. In 1983, the Direct Hits began work on their debut album, though Grover dropped out of the group for several months during the recording, and Griffiths ended up playing most of the drum tracks on the sessions. The first album, Blow Up, was released in June 1984, but Whaam! was having financial problems and the Direct Hits were soon looking for a new label. They formed their own Direct Records label for the 1986 single "She Really Didn't Care" b/w "Christopher Cooper," while Direct Records handled the second Direct Hits full-length, The House of Secrets, which was produced by Dave Goodman, the Sex Pistols' onetime producer and soundman. The band had played several successful tours in Germany, leading to the live EP Speed Over Berlin, released by Pastel Records, which also issued an EP of early demos, The Modesty Blaise Sessions. In the fall of 1987, the Direct Hits released a four-song EP, Snakes and Ladders, through Forbidden Records; the disc was a critical and commercial disappointment, and shortly after its release, Brian Grover once again left the band. In late 1988, the Direct Hits regrouped with drummer Ralph Millington for a mod "All-Dayer" in Wimbledon, which proved to be their final concert. In 2014, Cherry Red Records released a 23-song Direct Hits anthology, Here, There or Anywhere: 23 Mod Pop Classics 1982-1986.